A project to help homeless people has been served up a financial boost in time for the new year.

The Bus Shelter Dorset is a charity which aims to provide a mobile shelter for rough sleepers in Weymouth by way of a converted double decker bus.

Planning permission has been applied for to site it at Lodmoor – a decision is still awaited on this.

In the meantime, it has been given a boost thanks to Weymouth fish and chip shop Fish 'n' Fritz.

The customers of Fish are not shy about helping people less fortunate than themselves – for the last few months they have been donating teas, coffees and food to local homeless people through the restaurant's suspended coffee scheme.

Owner of Fish 'n' Fritz has gone further by running a promotion where he donates £1 to the Bus Shelter Dorset for each portion of scampi and chips sold.

It raised a total of £250, which Mr Hay presented to Emily McCarron from Bus Shelter Dorset.

Mr Hay said: "Each year we choose a charity to work with.

"This year I wanted to focus on people from the local homeless community. It’s an area I have worked voluntarily for in the past and after meeting Emily and her team from The Bus Shelter Dorset project I really wanted to help and give them our support to the project.

"Their work adds to the work we are already doing with the Fish ’n’ Fritz Suspended Coffee Scheme."

Mr Hay added: "When I launched the scampi offer I didn’t know how it would go, but our customers really got behind the idea and we have never sold so much. We are now thinking about our next promotion with Bus Shelter."

The bus project will work alongside other agencies to encourage users of the bus to move into suitable accommodation and to change the cycle of homelessness in order to integrate back into society. People who use the bus will be able to have access to a PO box to apply for work, register with a GP and make benefit claims.

Emily McCarron said: “We would like to thank all the Fish ’n’ Fritz customers for their generous donations, this really makes a difference to the project.

"Things are moving ahead, the next step being our planning application, if all goes well we are hoping to open our doors in January.”